1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter for holding a pair of centrifuge tubes in a centrifuge rotor cavity, and in particular, to an adapter having two segments which, upon mating, cooperate to define a pair of tube-receiving recesses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
PCT publication WO 91/06373 discloses an adapter for supporting a sealed centrifuge tube within a cavity of a centrifuge rotor. The adapter comprises a pair of matable adapter segments, each of which has an indentation therein. When the segments are joined along mating surfaces the indentation in each segment cooperate to define a recess having a size and shape that (within a certain range of manufacturing tolerances) closely corresponds to the size and shape of some portion or all of the sealed centrifuge tube. U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,197 (Mitchell et al.), assigned to the assignee hereof and U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,137 (Anthony) are each exemplary of an adapter formed from two segments.
In some instances it may be desirable to increase the number of sealed tubes that a given rotor can carry. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,306,676 (Edwards) and 4,360,150 (Ishimaru et al.) are each directed to an arrangement facilitating the accommodation of two or more containers within a single cavity of a vertical angle centrifuge rotor. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,050,239 (Williams); 3,674,198 (Eberle); 3,891,140 (Ayres); 3,905,772 (Hartnett); 4,032,066 (Wright); and 4,141,489 (Wright) each discloses an adapter arrangement which carries plural tubes in a swinging bucket centrifuge rotor.